Stepping out of the tent, Li Hao was still reeling from the shock.
*Independence?*
That notion had never once crossed his mind, yet today, he had heard it spoken aloud from Hou Xiaochen's own mouth.
At this moment, neither Zhang Ting nor the Three Great Organizations occupied his thoughts. He understood only too well what Silver Moon would face if it declared independence: suppression from the central region and joint encirclement from surrounding territories. After all, the Heavenly Star Dynasty had not yet collapsed, nor had affairs deteriorated beyond all control. Many ambitious figures lurked in the realm right now, but not one of them dared proclaim aloud that they intended to break away and stand on their own.
No one dared!
A starved camel was still bigger than a horse. When a grand structure teetered on the brink of ruin, almost none of the rebels who raised their banners at the onset of chaos ever tasted final victory. Anyone well-versed in the history books knew that whoever stuck their neck out first was always the first to die. Moreover, since ancient times, border rebellions had rarely succeeded in ultimately claiming the Central Plains.
Thoughts swirled through his mind one after another.
Beside him, Yuan Shuo remained silent for a long while. Only as they drew near their own tent did he speak. "Don't overthink it. It's no big deal. A tiny place like Silver Moon declaring independence won't stir up much of a wave, even if it happens. As for Hou Xiaochen... unless he is forced to the absolute brink, he wouldn't dare, nor would he actually do it."
Li Hao nodded. Glancing at his teacher, he asked anyway, "Teacher... why do you think he said that? Why would he even contemplate such a thing?"
Even if someone harbored such thoughts, shouldn't they keep them hidden? To just state it so openly!
Yuan Shuo fell silent for a few moments, pondering before he replied slowly, "He has no choice."
"No choice?"
Yuan Shuo nodded. "Let me ask you: if Hou Xiaochen leaves Silver Moon and obeys the central orders to fight in the central region, can the Night Watchers here hold their ground under Hao Lianchuan's leadership? Can they withstand the Three Great Organizations?"
Li Hao thought it over, then slowly shook his head.
Probably... probably not.
For one, Hao Lianchuan was not particularly strong. For another, Hao Lianchuan was an overly blunt, upright man who lacked sufficient prestige—something that was plain for all to see. Whenever Hou Xiaochen was mentioned, everyone felt awe and respect, Wang Ming included. But mention Hao Lianchuan, and Wang Ming would smile—not out of mockery, but because he found the deputy director amusing. Everyone liked him well enough, yet at critical moments, a person like that simply could not instill a sense of absolute security.
"If Hou Xiaochen leaves, the Night Watchers here won't be able to hold the line," Yuan Shuo said calmly. "If they can't hold the line, Silver Moon is finished! But if he refuses to leave, he is defying orders from above! Once, twice, three times... defying them time and again. If you were a central powerhouse, would you tolerate someone like Hou Xiaochen remaining alive?"
That was why he said Hou Xiaochen had no choice.
Li Hao frowned. "Doesn't the leadership consider this? If Director Hou leaves, Silver Moon will be in grave danger."
"Consider it?" Yuan Shuo gave a small scoff. "The central region is already in turmoil. They abandoned the borderlands long ago. Their primary priority right now is to concentrate power and suppress the chaos in the center! As for a tiny border province, if it must be abandoned, then so be it. So long as the central region remains under the dynasty's control, the realm will not easily fall into total collapse!"
Did the central authorities not know how complicated the situation was? Of course they did! Yet they still issued transfer orders repeatedly, demanding that Hou Xiaochen report to the central region. Hou Xiaochen had simply dug in his heels and refused to leave; otherwise, he would have been gone years ago.
Li Hao's brow furrowed deeper. "Just how strong is Director Hou? Even with the central region in such chaos, they still spared a mid-stage Three Sols expert with an Origin God Armament to keep tabs on him. If Director Hou were merely at late-stage Three Sols... it wouldn't be worth such trouble, would it?"
Keeping a mid-stage Three Sols dormant here for three whole years just for surveillance—was that truly worthwhile? In that same span of time, Zhang Ting could have potentially reached late-stage Three Sols in the central region, matching Hou Xiaochen's level. Why would they need to force his reassignment so aggressively?
Yuan Shuo considered the matter and shook his head. "It depends. Perhaps the higher-ups suspect his injuries have fully healed. If they have, he was already at peak Three Sols back then; today, he might have genuinely stepped beyond Three Sols!"
Of course, he could not be certain. Whether Hou Xiaochen's injuries had healed was something probably only Hou Xiaochen himself knew. He neither claimed his injuries were severe nor claimed he was unhurt. As a result, no one had a clear read on him. Even the Three Great Organizations, despite boasting numerous Three Sols experts, dared not provoke him recklessly.
"Are you truly leaving, Teacher?"
Li Hao did not dwell on the matter, recalling instead what Hou Xiaochen had said earlier.
"I have no choice but to go!" Yuan Shuo smiled. "I prepared myself before coming here. This time, whether I kill Sun Yifei or he kills me, I can't return to Silver City. Once my strength is exposed, those old friends of mine will miss me terribly... Staying in Silver City would only bring greater trouble upon you all. Besides, the martial path has declined in Silver Moon, and the supers are only so-so... If I don't leave, I won't find many further opportunities.
"Moreover, Red Moon has kept its eyes fixed on Silver City. But forced to choose between you and me... Red Moon's primary gaze will fall on me. Ying Hongyue knows my character; once I leave Silver City, I will definitely seek revenge against him!"
He spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "If I slay Red Moon's Three Sols expert this time and vanish, he will certainly guess that I'm coming for him! When that happens, he might still send people to Silver Moon, but he will dedicate far more effort to tracking me down!"
Because Ying Hongyue had tasted defeat before!
He knew what kind of man Yuan Shuo was. If a powerhouse like him vanished from sight, Ying Hongyue would exhaust every measure to hunt him down and commit all his forces to kill him.
Yuan Shuo patted Li Hao's shoulder and smiled. "That's why I hope you can step into the Thousand-Battler realm this time. Only as a Thousand-Battler will you have some means of self-preservation. If I leave and you lack that strength, I won't be around to resolve trouble for you when it finds you."
Li Hao lowered his head.
"It's time to grow up! What real man hasn't weathered a bit of hardship?" Yuan Shuo chuckled heartily. "When I was young, I left home early on to temper myself. My enemies spanned the world. I killed more people than I could count, striking fear into enough hearts before I reached where I am today."
"I'm worried about you, Teacher," Li Hao said in a low voice. "If you truly go to seek vengeance against Red Moon, they have many Three Sols experts, and likely quite a few beyond Three Sols as well. That's just the hearsay from the borderlands; in reality, they might be even stronger!"
"Isn't that wonderful?" Yuan Shuo laughed. "The stronger they are, the more challenging it is! Spirit Nourishing to nourish the Five Organs is only my beginning; ahead lies Spirit Merging, merging the Five Organs! The road is still long. If my enemies were all just Solar Radiance and Three Sols, I would feel no pressure at all.
"Back then, the Silver Moon martial forest was formidable, so why did no Thousand-Battler emerge from my generation? It wasn't because we were incompetent—it was because we were too competent, far surpassing the generations before us! But the flaw of our generation was that there was no pressure from a Thousand-Battler above us. A Hundred-Breaker culmination was enough to sweep the martial forest, so no one felt any urgency. In the end, out of a whole pack of Hundred-Breaker culminations, not a single one managed to step into the Thousand-Battler realm!
"Had just one person stepped into Thousand-Battler back then, I dare not say too many, but at least seven or eight Thousand-Battler martial masters would have walked out of the Silver Moon martial forest."
At this point, a touch of regret mingled with his self-satisfaction. "To be honest, it was entirely my fault those bastards failed to advance! Back then, I suppressed them until they couldn't even lift their heads. I was only at culmination; how would they dare be stronger? If I had stepped into Thousand-Battler at that time... Ying Hongyue, Sun Yifei, and the rest could have stepped in as well. But my prolonged failure to break through drained them of that final burst of drive."
Li Hao couldn't help but chuckle, the melancholy from moments ago pushed aside.
"Teacher, what about tomorrow's duel...?"
"Of course I'll fight!" Yuan Shuo said calmly. "Watch closely tomorrow! Those I faced before were all supers, and your teacher couldn't unleash his true strength. Whether being suppressed or suppressing others, none of them were martial masters, and none stimulated my full potential. Sun Yifei is an excellent opponent!
"As for the ruins... they are merely a bonus!
"Defeating Sun Yifei will be the true reward. No treasure can compare to that. Treasures can be found at any time, but an evenly matched adversary is the true driving force that propels you forward.
"So don't worry about exposing your strength... If we can wipe them all out, then wipe them all out. If not, kill as many as you can. Even if they're on guard, you can still kill them!"
His words sounded intensely arrogant.
Finally, he looked at Li Hao. "Hao, when it's time to show your edge, you must show it! No one ever became a powerhouse by keeping a low profile indefinitely! I know your concerns: the more you expose, the greater the danger... but true powerhouses all emerge through peril! Take Hou Xiaochen—he keeps a low profile, doesn't he? But that's now. Back in the day, he wasn't low-profile in the slightest. He was so brazen he dared tear off all pretenses with Ying Hongyue, which is why even today, no one dares look down on him!
"And what of Qiao Feilong? He kept such a low profile that he reached Three Sols... and in the end, before he ever had the chance to be bold, I beat him to death!"
He cited two men with two entirely different outcomes.
One stayed low-key all the way to Three Sols, only to be killed before he could ever display his might.
The other had been flamboyantly bold for years, only keeping a low profile after suffering an injury—so low-key that people thought he was washed up. Yet his past reputation remained, ensuring no one dared cross him, and the central authorities could only send a Three Sols expert to keep watch on him.
Two different choices.
Li Hao nodded without saying anything further.
Soon, master and disciple stepped inside the tent. Liu Yan and the others had already returned. The space was quiet; neither Liu Yan nor Liu Long spoke. As for whether they had spotted Hu Po, Li Hao did not ask.
Tonight, everyone remained quiet to allow Yuan Shuo time to rest.
Tomorrow, Yuan Shuo would honor the duel.
His opponent was a late-stage Three Sols expert from the central region. Even though everyone had immense faith in Yuan Shuo, an underlying unease lingered deep in their hearts. Three Sols was already a tier above Thousand-Battler, to say nothing of the late stage!
***
At the same time.
Beneath a shattered sky bridge, Sun Yifei had pitched no tent. Taking the sky as his blanket and the earth as his bed, he leaned against a boulder, gazing up at the star-studded sky.
The stars glittered brightly.
His three disciples surrounded him, fanning away mosquitoes and insects... though in truth, no snake, insect, rat, or ant dared approach him.
After an unknown length of time, the long-silent Sun Yifei spoke abruptly. "Moxian, does that disciple of Yuan Shuo truly possess the strength of a late or culmination Hundred-Breaker?"
"Most likely, yes."
"A practitioner of the Five Animals Sect..."
Sun Yifei pondered for a moment, then added, "Tomorrow, you take the field! Go all out and see if you meet your match. Encountering a worthy opponent will be of great help in your breakthrough to Thousand-Battler!"
Pausing, he continued, "If I fall tomorrow... take your junior brother and sister and return to the central region!"
"Master..."
"Do as I say. As for the ruins and the rest, none of it matters. Don't let yourselves be used as someone else's blade." Sun Yifei's voice was serene. "Confident as I am, my opponent is Yuan Shuo; proper preparations must still be made. Tomorrow, with ninety-nine percent certainty, only one of us will walk away alive. Whether it's him or me... it doesn't matter! Back then, my greatest regret was failing to step into Thousand-Battler; I hope you can fulfill that dream for me. If you find yourself no match for that Li Hao... surrender in time! Losing once is nothing to fear. A martial master does not fear defeat; no one is invincible. Your master will not let you die pointlessly..."
"Master, I will defeat him!"
"Confidence is good." Sun Yifei smiled and nodded. "In short, if I lose, leave immediately! Yuan Shuo will not stop you. The feud between him and me belongs to our generation. By the rules of the martial forest, grievances do not extend to family! So long as you do not perish by Li Hao's hand, once our battle ends, I will not deliberately target Li Hao, and he will not deliberately target you..."
Hearing him speak this way, the disciples felt a pang of sorrow, yet they still found it hard to believe their master could lose.
How could that be?
He was at late-stage Three Sols!
And a late-stage Three Sols who had advanced from a martial master! Even in the central region, only those beyond Three Sols could overpower their master. Yet here in Silver Moon Province, a Thousand-Battler martial master had compelled their master to arrange his affairs after death.
The female disciple could not bear it and blurted out, "Master, then... why don't we just return to the central region!"
They didn't have to fight!
"Ridiculous!" Sun Yifei snorted coldly. "I came here specifically to battle Yuan Shuo! Life or death, this is what I seek! As martial masters, remember this: you may suffer defeat, but you must never retreat without a fight! Unless you, a Hundred-Breaker, run into a Three Sols, retreating when the difference in strength is negligible—or when you even hold the advantage—means your path ends right there!
"The path of a martial master is far harder to tread. If you find it unacceptable, you may choose to become supers once you return. When that time comes, how you walk your path will be entirely up to you."
Having said his piece, he closed his eyes and paid them no further mind.
He needed to rest and prepare to face Yuan Shuo.
Sun Moxian and the others were filled with anxiety and restlessness. Their master's words made sleep impossible.
And tonight, they were far from the only ones who could not sleep.
Many throughout the canyon lay awake.
***
August 27th.
Just as dawn broke.
Hao Lianchuan seemed not to have slept the entire night. Early in the morning, he rushed over to Li Hao and Yuan Shuo's tent.
Inside, Yuan Shuo took his time, completely unhurried. He washed up simply and even ate some breakfast. Only after wiping his mouth clean did he step outside.
Hao Lianchuan looked at him, his eyes somewhat bloodshot. "Must you go through with this duel?"
He had wanted to come over all night, but had held back. Now, he could restrain himself no longer.
"Are you a martial master?" Yuan Shuo looked at him.
Hao Lianchuan frowned, answering after a pause, "No!"
"Then you don't get it!"
Yuan Shuo stepped past him and walked forward. "Martial masters of Silver Moon rarely avoid battle. A martial master who dodges a fight is either genuinely outmatched or a coward.
"A martial master charges straight ahead. So long as he believes he won't lose, that he can fight, he will never avoid a battle—anytime, anywhere!
"Take Hong Yitang of Sword Gate. Back then, he dodged battle and didn't dare fight me... because he knew he was inferior to me, and he admitted he was a coward. So he avoided battle twice, and I couldn't be bothered to challenge him a third time.
"Hao Lianchuan, you're a decent man, but it's a pity you didn't advance from a martial master... Otherwise, you'd be much stronger today!"
Hao Lianchuan was speechless. Plenty of people weren't former martial masters! Who said advancing from a martial master guaranteed greater strength?
"But Sun Yifei is at late-stage Three Sols..."
"I can still beat him!" Yuan Shuo overflowed with confidence!
Seeing that persuasion was futile, Hao Lianchuan could only say, "Then how about this: stop before anyone gets hurt..."
"There's no stopping before getting hurt in a martial contest—unless you're teaching a disciple. If Sun Yifei admits he's my disciple, I'll pull my punches!"
*What total nonsense!*
Hao Lianchuan was about to pull his hair out. "I'm doing this for your own good!"
"There's a kind of love called 'for your own good'... Unfortunately, you're neither my father nor my mother, so I have no need for it. Hao Lianchuan, instead of wasting your breath, you should consider what consequences will follow once I kill Sun Yifei."
Hao Lianchuan gave up entirely!
He resigned himself, replying listlessly, "What consequences? If you kill Sun Yifei, you'll be the undisputed number one expert here. The other organizations most likely still won't give up on exploring the ruins, but they'll band together—shifting from their initial fragmentation into solidarity! Once we enter the ruins, we'll just have to watch out for their combined forces."
Giving up?
Out of the question.
If they gave up and the Night Watchers actually secured that defensive Origin God Armament, the various organizations would never sleep peacefully again. Thus, none of them would leave; the loose alliance would simply draw tighter.
Of course, that wasn't the main issue.
The real issue was: if Hao Lianchuan intervened to stop Sun Yifei from killing Yuan Shuo, what consequences would that bring?
That was what had kept Hao Lianchuan awake all night.
Thinking of this, he remembered the director's instructions to lend the Fire Phoenix Spear to Yuan Shuo. Catching up to Yuan Shuo again, he whispered, "You didn't bring a weapon, did you? I can lend you a spear... Do you know spear techniques?"
"No need!" Yuan Shuo refused flatly.
Hao Lianchuan was frantic, gritting his teeth as he whispered, "That weapon is no ordinary weapon!"
It was an Origin God Armament!
"No need. If it's exposed, it will bring even greater trouble. Even if I use it, it will be after entering the ruins."
Yuan Shuo refused once more. He knew what it was, but he didn't need it. Moreover, the Fire Phoenix Spear was the only Origin God Armament in Silver Moon. Exposing it might invite far greater danger, potentially drawing in outside parties who would come not for the ruins, but to seize the spear. For the first time, the Fire Phoenix Spear was leaving Hou Xiaochen's side; while people dared not target Hou Xiaochen, did they dare not target the rest of them?
"But..." Hao Lianchuan said anxiously, "truly, you are definitely outmatched. Holding it will give you some hope."
"Not necessary. Relax. Once I win and we enter the ruins, you can lend it to me then... That will guarantee an unexpected surprise."
Yuan Shuo smiled.
When enemies believed they had seen through everything you had, only to discover that what they saw was far from the full picture—that was a true surprise.
In this clash with Sun Yifei, he planned to use only his Heart Fire Ape. He didn't even want to reveal his stone saber. As for whether he could match Sun Yifei, he would only know after trading blows. Facing Sun Yifei, Yuan Shuo was unwilling to rely on superior weapons, nor did he need to worry about underhanded tricks—that was the mutual understanding between martial masters.
A fair and open duel!
Of course, vicious moves were standard fare. Some people specialized in sinister styles, so brutal techniques were par for the course.
Did Sun Yifei carry a Red Shadow?
Yuan Shuo doubted it. If that fellow knew what a Red Shadow did, his first instinct would likely be to destroy it and swallow it himself rather than nurture it. Ying Hongyue was surely aware of this as well, so even without seeing it, Yuan Shuo knew Sun Yifei had no Red Shadow. That being the case, why would he need the Fire Phoenix Spear?
As they talked, the others caught up one by one.
Some were worried, while others were thrilled at the prospect of witnessing a Three Sols-level battle—a pinnacle contest that many had never seen in their lives.
In the distance, activity stirred in other camps as well. Various supers followed from afar, filled with anticipation.
***
Where the sky bridge once stood, only broken spans remained.
A group of Ghost Faces materialized like phantoms around Sun Yifei.
Sun Yifei was currently clearing the ground, sweeping out a flat open space beneath the broken bridge. He acted as though he had not even seen the Ghost Faces appear.
Seeing that Sun Yifei ignored him, the Three Sols expert Hao Kong said in a deep voice, "Senior Sun, do you still insist on dueling Yuan Shuo?"
Sun Yifei swept a large rock away with his staff and glanced sideways at him. "Is there a problem?"
"No problem!" Hao Kong's voice was low. "We merely hope Senior will show mercy and refrain from slaying Yuan Shuo. Otherwise, Red Moon and the Night Watchers could easily erupt into conflict at this stage."
"Fists and feet have no eyes; once you step onto the stage, life and death are left to fate! Whoever holds back is guaranteed to be the one who dies!"
Sun Yifei's words were an outright refusal.
Suppressing his temper, Hao Kong pressed again, "Senior, this is also Chief Ziyue's wish."
"Ziyue?"
Sun Yifei turned back to look at him with a cold laugh. "When Red Moon was founded, seven moons hung in the sky: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Blue, and Purple! The Ziyue of today is not the Ziyue of back then. In my eyes, Ziyue was only that young girl from years ago... After she died, the one who inherited the title of Ziyue was nothing more than trash. You dare threaten me with her?"
At these words, supernatural power surged.
Several Ghost Face supers bristled with anger. Whether genuine or feigned, Ziyue was their chief in Silver Moon, and she had just been insulted. Failing to show fury would earn them harsh punishment if the chief found out.
Sun Yifei shot Hao Kong another glance and chuckled. "Stay away from me; you sicken me... Ever since Ying Hongyue founded Red Moon, he has grown increasingly incomprehensible... Especially those things clinging to you. Even if I can't see them, I can sense them somewhat... Don't come too close, or I might just beat you to death, catch one of those things, and see if I can eat it."
Hao Kong's expression shifted once more.
After a long silence, he said grimly, "In that case, Senior may do as you please! However, once we enter the ruins, we hope Senior will not act too arbitrarily. We have our arrangements, and we do not wish for Senior to disrupt the entire plan."
"We'll see!" Sun Yifei smiled faintly and waved his hand as though shooing them off.
Hao Kong said nothing more. He and the Ghost Faces vanished on the spot, reappearing moments later hundreds of meters away atop a jutting cliff, evidently choosing to observe the duel rather than depart.
Shortly after, a group of figures clad in black robes and hoods appeared, choosing another cliff ledge to watch.
Sun Yifei glanced their way, recognizing them as Feitian's people.
Red Moon favored ghost masks—though Sun Yifei belonged to Red Moon, he wore none, and no one forced him. Feitian preferred black robes and hoods, their conduct even more bizarre than Red Moon's.
As for Yama, few of them covered their faces, but their killing intent was suffocating. Among the Three Great Organizations, Yama was arguably the fondest of killing, and the bloodiest in doing so.
Just as he thought this, a group of baleful figures ascended a cliff in the distance. The ledge was not prominent enough, so they shattered the stone wall, and an earth-element expert directly conjured a jutting stone platform.
The Three Great Organizations had all arrived.
They had come swiftly, and the others were not far behind.
Within minutes, the two local mid-sized organizations arrived as well.
The people of Bright Island were dressed in white, with many women among them. They arrived aboard a levitating skiff—not a conventional vessel, but a transcendent artifact, though shy of an Origin God Armament. They anchored the vessel in midair, looking down from above with considerable ostentation.
From Sword Gate, Hong Yitang soared through the air, a longsword strapped to his back. From far away, he cupped his hands. "Big Brother Sun!"
Sun Yifei glanced at him, no longer ignoring him, though his tone held mockery. "Hong Yitang, back among the Seven Swords, you ranked near the bottom. Who would have thought that while the others died, you of all people would live so comfortably!"
Hong Yitang took no offense, merely sighing with emotion. "Perhaps I simply value my life more."
With that, he glanced at Sun Yifei's disciples and nodded slightly. "The disciples Big Brother Sun brought this time all seem quite promising. Once this duel concludes, if there is an opportunity, perhaps the young people could spar a bit."
Following his gaze, Sun Yifei looked behind him and spotted a young woman with sharp, piercing eyes who possessed the air of a true swordswoman. She, too, carried a longsword on her back, dressing distinctly from ordinary supers.
"Has she comprehended momentum?"
"Not yet." Hong Yitang shook his head with regret. "Momentum is difficult to grasp. If the martial path has declined, this is the main reason why!"
Sun Yifei nodded, offering no scorn. After a moment's thought, he said, "No need to pick another day! Hongxiu, spar with this young lady in a bit!"
Hong Yitang looked surprised, turning toward Sun Yifei's female disciple.
Sun Yifei said calmly, "Hongxiu is at late-stage Hundred-Breaker; your daughter should be about the same, right? She looks just like you, but she feels stronger than you were—you lacked that sharpness back then!"
"She is indeed my daughter, Hong Qing. Greet your Uncle Sun!"
Hong Qing stepped forward promptly and cupped her hands in greeting. "Uncle Sun!"
"No need for pleasantries; they're useless! I don't think much of your father. Don't learn from him—a challenge letter arrived at his door, and he didn't even dare accept."
Hong Qing looked awkward, but Hong Yitang remained easygoing. "If I had accepted, I might not be standing here today. Big Brother Sun, I was never his match, so why go looking for trouble?"
"Useless!" Sun Yifei cursed, then chuckled. "Then again, at least you know your own limits!"
Hong Yitang glanced at the remaining two disciples and asked, "Big Brother Sun plans to follow the old rules?"
"Is that a problem?"
"No, but Yuan... Yuan Shuo's senior disciples don't seem to be with him. He only brought a young disciple he took in just a few years ago. The boy studied scholarly texts before turning to martial arts, all in less than three years."
He was asking who Sun Yifei intended to send out.
Sun Yifei couldn't be bothered to explain. What did Hong Yitang know? Waving an impatient hand, he snapped, "Out of the way. I don't have time to reminisce with you!"
Hong Yitang laughed and said no more, leading his daughter back toward the Sword Gate contingent.
After they walked a short distance, Sun Yifei's voice called from behind, "In a moment, Hongxiu and your daughter will open the stage for everyone! A friendly exchange, stopping before injury—you have no objections, do you?"
Hong Yitang's expression shifted slightly. Not because an opening match was bad, but because in martial duels, the opener was merely an appetizer; the brutal, high-stakes contests came after.
What did this mean?
He had assumed Sun Yifei would send out his Ten-Slayer disciple to open against Yuan Shuo's disciple. But clearly, that wasn't Sun Yifei's intention at all—he was sending his eldest disciple out for the real match!
Filled with questions, Hong Yitang refrained from asking further and simply nodded. "Agreed!"
"Good!"
Sun Yifei smiled. Once Hong Yitang left, he looked at his female disciple. "Bringing you here shouldn't be a wasted trip. Hong Yitang's daughter isn't weak; she matches you well. An evenly matched opponent is ideal! Don't underestimate her. Though I look down on her father, none of the Silver Moon Seven Swords were weak! Hong Yitang was known as the Earth-Overturning Sword—one strike to overturn heaven and earth. His daughter is also a swordswoman and won't be easy to handle. Among martial masters, swordsmen are exceptionally formidable..."
Hongxiu nodded, though she hesitated. "Master, what about Senior Brother?"
"His opponent is that Li Hao! Your match with Hong Yitang's daughter is just a spar; treat it like an exchange between fellow disciples..."
Turning to Sun Moxian, he said, "Between you and that Li Hao, disregard everything else—it is a battlefield! You've seen real war. Even if he can't block a single strike, strike without regret. If he dies, it's because he was weak!"
Sun Moxian nodded heavily!
Just then, a group approached from the distance.
The Night Watchers had arrived!
From far away, Sun Yifei spotted the man—the old acquaintance he had never forgotten all these years.
At that moment, Sun Yifei straightened his posture.
"Yuan Shuo!"
"Sun Yifei!"
In the distance, Yuan Shuo broke into a grin, laughing heartily like an old friend. "Back then, I thought you were truly dead. To think you're still alive—congratulations are in order! I've struck many times, and few survived my hands. I'd like to see whether I can still beat you to death today!"
Sun Yifei's voice boomed with vitality, his laughter clear and hearty. "Then come try! Yuan Shuo, I'd like to see whether you, after groveling like a grandson for over ten years, still have your old demonic edge! I've had a grand time slaughtering in the central region; I trust you've had a grand time hiding in Silver Moon?"
Yuan Shuo smiled amiably, offering no reply.
Sun Yifei fell silent as well.
Yuan Shuo waved a hand, signaling the others to hang back, and walked forward accompanied only by Li Hao.
Beneath the broken bridge, an area of over a hundred square meters had been cleared flat and smooth, free of stones, looking remarkably distinct.
"The old rules?"
"The old rules!"
Their exchange was blunt and straightforward.
Yuan Shuo asked, and once Sun Yifei answered, he smiled. "No need for empty words between us! This is my disciple, Li Hao. On your side, are they coming together, or one by one?"
"No need. Moxian alone will suffice!" Sun Yifei said, then added calmly, "I set the venue, you set the rules. As always, no words are needed between us. But between disciples, is it a spar or a duel?"
A spar did not decide life and death.
A duel... left life and death to fate!
Yuan Shuo chuckled. "Has all that killing softened your heart?"
"I'm merely afraid that if your disciple dies, your mind will be unsettled!" Sun Yifei sneered. "Since that's the case, a duel it is!"
"Splendid!"
Yuan Shuo's expression remained steady as he glanced at Li Hao.
Li Hao nodded. Across from them, Sun Moxian nodded as well.
In an instant, tension mounted, swords drawn and bows bent.
Right then, Hong Yitang called out from the distance, "Big Brother Yuan, Big Brother Sun suggested that my daughter and his female disciple open the stage. You have no objections, do you, Big Brother Yuan?"
Yuan Shuo turned his head and smiled. "None at all!"
Hong Yitang smiled as well. Even though he was now a Three Sols expert, facing two martial masters from his own era still left him somewhat diffident. It wasn't that he felt his current strength was far inferior, but that he had lacked confidence before them back then, and that feeling lingered to this day.
***
Yuan Shuo led Li Hao back outside the clearing and whispered, "This works out well. Observe how that girl attacks. Both carry the lineage of the Eyebrow-Height Staff; their forms and secret techniques are much the same. Though I believe you can win... remain cautious in all things!"
He added, "If you truly find yourself outmatched, then surrender. Don't force yourself! If you don't surrender and he beats you to death, it won't be proper for me to intervene!"
Li Hao nodded.
Yuan Shuo said nothing more.
Some things were never that simple.
If one was truly defeated to the point of surrendering under the watchful eyes of the crowd, for a young martial master—especially one cultivating momentum—a single loss could deal a devastating blow to that momentum.
Ancient texts recorded the concept of nurturing an invincible momentum!
During the process of nurturing momentum, defeat was the hardest setback for a martial master to bear. Nine out of ten would ultimately fall at this hurdle, never stepping into Thousand-Battler for the rest of their lives.
Yuan Shuo and his contemporaries were largely responsible for why so many martial masters in the Silver Moon martial forest had failed to reach Thousand-Battler. Those martial masters had all been killed or broken by them while nurturing their momentum; it would have been a miracle if they had reached Thousand-Battler.
A moment later, Hong Qing stepped forward from Sword Gate, longsword strapped to her back.
Beside Sun Yifei, his disciple Hongxiu stepped out with a cold expression, holding an eyebrow-height staff.
From every direction, the supernatural powerhouses turned their attention toward them.
Two Hundred-Breakers!
Both at late-stage Hundred-Breaker, equivalent to a clash between Lunar Nether Full Moon practitioners. The spectators were deeply intrigued; with Lunar Nether supers forming the majority present, this was a level of combat they could actually comprehend.
Many had never fought a martial master before, and they eagerly anticipated this contest, keen to see just how potent a martial master's strength truly was.
The moment the two entered the ring, someone murmured, "So strong!"
Before any blows were exchanged, the surge of inner force as they stepped onto the field stirred up gusts of wind, tossing loose stones aside. It was enough to give several supers a vivid taste of a martial master's formidable power.
At that moment, Li Hao watched intently, not underestimating them in the least simply because their strength fell short of his own.
Chapter 80